The Rockets in a post-James Harden world: The trials and tribulations of losing your franchise player

In the event you suppose that the sky is simply now falling for the Houston Rockets resulting from their seven-game shedding streak, then you might be kidding your self. The sky has been falling for months now, and we’re all simply now seeing the outcomes of it. The break-up between James Harden and the group has compelled Purple Nation to go from getting ready for deep playoff runs to moseying by way of the 5 phases of grief.

In case you are unclear on which stage you at present reside, there isn’t any want to fret. I’ve a information for you all.

Stage 1: Denial

Denial is whenever you keep away from accepting what is thought all through.

On this case, denial got here when James Harden implied that the Rockets weren’t adequate to compete with a group just like the Lakers, however many took it as him saying that the Rockets couldn’t be group. This led to the notion that the Rockets have been going to exit and show Harden unsuitable.

The difficulty with proving Harden unsuitable is that for the group to achieve the extent that the bearded one wished them to be at, there would have needed to have been a drastic change. I say this as a result of final season, the Rockets have been one of many elite groups out west, however it solely took 5 video games for LeBron and Co. to dispel them. The Rockets, on paper, got here into their January tenth and twelfth matchups with the Lakers with a greater roster than that they had within the earlier season, however have been pummeled in each of these video games. This led to the Harden postgame interview and commerce as a result of it was clear to him that even with the roster strikes, Los Angeles was nonetheless merely the higher group.

So yeah, the six-game successful streak was nice, the play of Christian Wooden when wholesome has been promising, however regardless, the Rockets weren’t the legit championship contender that Harden wished them to be, and whether or not they make the playoffs or not with out him doesn’t change that.

Stage 2: Anger

Anger is when you find yourself expressing frustration directed in direction of the person who triggered your 5 phases of grief.

Usually in sports activities, this stage is directed at a participant who left a franchise. For instance, LeBron leaving Cleveland the primary time, Kevin Durant leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kawhi leaving the San Antonio Spurs. However on this case, there needs to be extra anger pointed at Tilman Fertitta than Harden.

A giant cause why the Rockets vastly declined after almost upsetting the Golden State Warriors in 2018 is because of Fertitta’s fixed need to keep away from paying the luxurious tax. By spending his time specializing in lowering the group’s payroll, he shortened their championship window, which ultimately led to Harden changing into a Brooklyn Internet.

To make issues worse, when it was time to ship out his franchise participant, Fertitta determined to not make a cope with the Philadelphia 76ers as a result of it will pair Harden with former Rockets GM Daryl Morey. On this commerce, Philly would have given up defensive aces Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle together with draft picks, however as a substitute Fertitta agreed to a cope with Brooklyn that was not almost as candy.

Fertitta’s cheapness smothered Houston’s potential, and his pettiness saved them from buying elite younger expertise. (It’s probably that they nonetheless would have gotten Kevin Porter Jr due to the haul of draft picks!)

Stage 3: Bargaining

Bargaining is when you end up revisiting the previous and making statements that begin with “what if” or “provided that”.

This stage is usually discovered all through sports activities Twitter, and for Rockets followers, it’s clear the place that is heading; What if Chris Paul didn’t harm his hamstring towards the Warriors within the western convention finals?

In 2018, Houston was one of many prime three groups within the league and was displaying it within the post-season after they defeated the Warriors in Sport 5 of the WCF to take a 3-2 lead. In that recreation, the Rockets took management of the collection, however it additionally was their downfall as a result of with 52 seconds left within the 4th quarter with a one-point lead, CP3 went down holding his leg. He was one of many key items to their success that season and there was hope that he’d relaxation for Sport 6 and finally play in Sport 7 on Houston’s residence flooring.

That didn’t occur. As a substitute, Paul missed the ultimate two video games of the collection, and the Warriors gained Sport 7 through which Houston and the referees mixed for lots of missed threes and fouls. Most followers across the league probably agree that if CP3 was wholesome, the Rockets win that collection after which remove the Cavaliers within the finals. An occasion that will have modified the trajectory of the franchise, however as a substitute, we ask ‘what if’.

Stage 4: Despair

Despair is when you find yourself trying to find how one can hold shifting ahead.

Proper now, the Houston Rockets are on a seven-game shedding streak. They’re with out the providers of Wooden resulting from harm and ultimately have choices to make because the commerce deadline approaches concerning guys like Victor Oladipo, Eric Gordon, and P.J. Tucker. It appears to be a bit cloudy for the group proper now, which grew to become inevitable as soon as the MVP duo of Russell Westbrook and Harden each requested to be traded.

The team now must figure out if they want to tank or make a run at the post-season which isn’t essentially a simple resolution.

If the Rockets determine to pack up and take a look at once more subsequent season, they have to hope to land a top-four choose within the draft lottery or they’ll lose it and have to choose later within the spherical. In the event that they determine to make a run on the postseason, then they have to attain the play-in match or else many will query why they didn’t simply determine to tank and construct in direction of the longer term. How will Christian Wooden really feel if the Rockets tank? What if the Rockets go for the playoffs, fail and threat lacking out on touchdown the primary total choose within the draft?

To tank or not to tank? The reply is unclear proper now.

Stage 5: Acceptance

Acceptance is you’ve acknowledged the difficulty and have determined to maneuver on from it.

Women and gents, welcome to the ultimate stage of grief. This in all probability is crucial one as a result of that is whenever you understand that life does certainly go on.

Harden is gone and following him out the door have been aspirations to win the upcoming NBA Finals. What’s left is a bunch of men which can be doing nice issues of their first 12 months throughout the group. Head Coach Stephen Silas has obtained a bunch of gamers to purchase into his system and even was capable of rattle off a successful streak that dropped jaws across the league.

Basic Supervisor Rafael Stone has navigated by way of a troublesome monetary scenario to reconstruct the roster. Then, after all, Wooden has been pretty much as good as marketed whereas additionally garnering Most Improved Participant of the Yr chatter, and Jae’Sean Tate has turned heads along with his defensive effort and continuously enhancing offensive recreation.

All of that went with out mentioning KPJ trying like he might be a younger star within the metropolis whereas dominating within the G-League bubble and in addition the haul of draft picks that have been acquired within the Harden deal.

It’s been a wrestle throughout this seven-game shedding streak, however there’s magnificence in that wrestle for the Houston Rockets. In the event that they play their playing cards proper, then the longer term might be very shiny in due time.

I’d like to increase my ideas to all of you within the metropolis of Houston and all through the state of Texas which can be struggling by way of the winter storm.